Radja Nainggolan reveals he felt ‘betrayed and abandoned’ by Cagliari after terminating his Inter contract, so returned to Belgium for Royal Antwerp.
The veteran midfielder waited for months as the two Serie A clubs negotiated to no avail, eventually terminating his Inter contract by mutual consent.
It was then expected that he’d join Cagliari, but instead suddenly switched paths and signed for Antwerp.
“Cagliari were my priority, I gave up on a lot of money in order to choose that place, and yet…” Nainggolan told Unione Sarda newspaper.
“President Tommaso Giulini and director of sport Stefano Capozucca, after learning what I wanted, disappeared. They abandoned me.”
The 33-year-old already had three stints in Sardinia, from 2010-14, then on loan in 2019-20 and again from January 2021.
“Cagliari increased their salary bill a year ago by seeking out big names, but then the resources ran dry and it wasn’t possible for them to continue that approach.
“They betrayed me, I am very let down. I gave up on so much in order to wear the Cagliari jersey, but I saw they didn’t really want to rely on me. They just assumed I’d come back anyway.
“I remained in contact with the staff throughout, my desire was clear and I have proved my love for Cagliari. Unfortunately, people forget quickly in football.”
Nainggolan complained that Cagliari interrupted the negotiations “mysteriously” and gave no warning they were about to turn elsewhere.
There is a great deal of tension in Sardinia at the moment, with Diego Godin also told to find himself another club and Nahitan Nandez refusing to take part in pre-season games because he insists that he was promised a move to Inter.